Software management in Ubuntu 13.10

Quick Sources

The Software Center is a graphical interface for apt, the Advanced Packaging Tool, which manages the list of software in the repositories in the background. As already noted, you can also run apt over the command line; many experienced Ubuntu users prefer this method, because the commands work with any Ubuntu derivative.

The first command brings the package list up to date, an important thing considering how quickly program versions change. The next command searches for a package whose name or description includes the term inkscape
. Add the --names-only
option (without the parentheses) to search for the package name only if too many hits are returned.

The third command installs the package, and the fourth removes it. Use the optional --purge
option to purge the configuration files in the home directory along with the package down to the local configuration, which you have to remove yourself.

To remove all the packages installed through a PPA, you can either use Software Center and choose the PPA next to Installed
or stay on the command line, install the ppa-purge
package, and use the following command:

$ sudo ppa-purge ppa:inkscape/stable

for the Inkscape example.

Single Consignments

Finally, some websites provide single Debian packages to download. To install the software, double-click the DEB package. Ubuntu then calls Software Center and recommends installing the package. Once you click OK
, the package appears together with a screenshot and description in Software Center. Finally, you can download the package with Install
.

But, a word of caution: For safety reasons, it's preferable that you use the official repositories.